Cape pondweed

Cape pondweed;  Aponogeton distachyos

This water plant is grown for its fragrant flowers and floating foliage in American water gardens, but it is grown for food on a small scale in South Africa. The flower heads are eaten and the most popular usage is in a traditional bredie or stew made with onions, potatoes, and lamb. The flowers can also be steamed and eaten on their own. They are reported to taste like asparagus. Canned or bagged waterblommetjies can be purchased in South African supermarkets. The starchy rhizomes were eaten by the Khoi and San in earlier times. Juice from fresh stems or a poultice of fresh leaves is used to dress burns and abrasions.

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